HEATH MUCHENA: Why US tariffs won’t derail China’s global strategy

While the US leans on tariffs and sanctions to reassert its global dominance, China answers with patience, pragmatism — and a 5,000-year historical memory.

China’s response to escalating US pressure has not been reactionary. It has been strategic. While Washington tightens tariffs and sanctions, China continues quietly entrenching itself in global supply chains, building influence through infrastructure investment, trade partnerships and diplomatic consistency. 

Unlike the US’s fast-paced political cycles and headline-driven policymaking, Beijing plays the long game — centuries, not election seasons. And that’s exactly why sanctions, tariffs or tech bans may irritate China’s rise — but they won’t stop it. 

The global factory

Over the past three decades, China has evolved from a low-cost labour hub into the beating heart of the global supply chain. From iPhones to wind turbines, from textiles to AI chips, China produces — and increasingly innovates — everything. Even something as basic as the toothbrush in your bathroom or the fibre in your hoodie likely traces back to a Chinese plant. 

Trying to isolate China economically today is like trying to remove oxygen from air travel. The world is too interconnected. You sanction one Chinese industry and the shock ripples across Tokyo, Nairobi, São Paulo and yes — back to Kansas and Ohio. 

When former US administrations imposed tariffs on Chinese goods, the goal was to punish Beijing. But the real loser? The US consumer. Prices went up. Local businesses paid more for inputs. And despite the political noise, the trade deficit didn’t meaningfully shrink. That’s because China isn’t just a supplier — it’s a critical buyer too, especially of American agriculture, semiconductors and aircraft. 

And let’s be clear: for every American attempt to “decouple”, China has quietly built alternative markets across Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. That’s what Belt and Road is really about — building relationships the West neglected. 

Respect over rhetoric 

One reason China’s approach resonates globally — especially in the Global South — is tone. China doesn’t moralise. It doesn’t arrive with “democracy lectures” or strings-attached loans. It offers ports, roads, railways and trade. You may argue over the terms, but many nations prefer transactional pragmatism over patronising politics. 

That’s why even US allies often tread carefully. While Washington talks tough, Germany still does big business with Beijing. Even Africa, once a pawn in Cold War games, is now playing its own hand — courting China not out of desperation, but by choice. 

Look at regional trends too. Countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are boosting trade with China. Japan and South Korea, long-time US allies, are hedging — trading with China while relying on the US for security. The idea that Asia will rally against Beijing is outdated. Many countries want balance, not blocs.  

China doesn’t need to “win” against the US to succeed. It only needs to keep building, keep trading and keep stabilising its domestic economy. And that’s exactly what it’s doing — slowly shifting from export-led growth to a huge consumer-driven middle class. While the West bickers, Beijing plans decades ahead. 

In this quiet but profound global transformation, the West wields blunt tools — sanctions, tariffs and rhetoric. China counters with time, scale and subtlety. The 21st century may not belong to any one country, but the game is shifting. And those who play the long game usually win. 

• Muchena is founder of Proudly Associated and author of “Artificial Intelligence Applied” and “Tokenized Trillions”.